Granting DP World a lease to run Lyttleton Port is backdoor privatisation that will strip Christchurch of a profitable public asset.
New Zealand’s port workers and unions are braced to fight an attempted takeover of Lyttelton Port in Christchurch which they say will strip the local community of its wealth and lead to widespread job losses – and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is backing them to the hilt.
ITF affiliate unions, the Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) and the Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), are both strongly opposed to an unsolicited takeover and operational lease proposal from Dubai-owned port operator DP World revealed by port workers and confirmed last week in media reports.
The proposal, which is now being considered by Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL) – the Christchurch City Council-owned company that owns Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) – comes from the “Tōnui” consortium, made up of three Ngāi Tahu rūnanga [tribal councils from the South Island Ngāi Tahu tribe].
“We have absolute respect for local rūnanga [tribal council], but the inclusion of DP World raises serious concerns for workers, ratepayers, and democratic accountability,” said MUNZ National Secretary, Carl Findlay.
RMTU President Aubrey Wilkinson said: “If a multinational network operator like DP World captures Lyttelton Port, it will mean skyrocketing costs for local businesses, the systematic stripping of community wealth, the degradation of critical safety standards, and widespread job losses on the waterfront.”
DP World’s track record of exploiting Australian workers and gouging Australian businesses is at the heart of the unions’ concerns.
“In the UK, we saw how DP World treats its workers with the callous firing of 800 seafarers, with zero notice, to replace them with cheaper workers, and in Australia, we’ve seen how they’re attacking workers’ jobs while raking in record profits and paying no tax whatsoever,” said ITF President and ITF Dockers’ Section Chair, Paddy Crumlin.
“Right now, we face DP World trying to force through AI automation in our ports, throwing unionised port workers’ jobs on the scrap heap to be replaced by robots. If DP World gets into New Zealand, do you think it will be any different?”
DP World has paid no tax in Australia while generating revenue of more than $4.5 billion over eight years. Meanwhile it offered workers a below inflation 2.5% wage increase in 2023, while workers at neighbouring Patrick Terminals received a 7/5% increases in January 2023, followed by a 5/4% increase in January 2025.
DP World’s Code of Ethics was again called into question in February this year, when DP World chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resigned after the release of the Epstein files showed that he engaged in email correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein discussing women and girls, including receiving an email referring to a “torture video”. Epstein described Sulayem as “one of his most trusted friends”.
“This is a fight that we can and must win – and we stand firmly alongside MUNZ and RMTU for the sake of the port workers and community of Christchurch,” said Scott McDine, ITF Regional Secretary for the Asia-Pacific.
“DP World’s record in Australia makes it very clear to us that the only real winners from this proposed takeover of Lyttelton Port will be DP World.”
The ITF will join all its affiliated unions in New Zealand at a National Coordinating Committee meeting in Auckland, in July 2026, held around the E tū Biennial Conference, 2026.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Research published in the peer-reviewed journal, Competition & Change, shows that DP World has used monopoly power in privatised Australian ports to pass landside tariff hikes of up to 52%, or triple-digit access fees per container, onto local businesses, driving inflation. See here.
Research by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research (CICTAR) reveals systemic profit-shifting practices, showing that DP World’s top Australian infrastructure operations contributed minimal or zero corporate tax relative to billions in revenue. See here.
Media Contact: Mark Dearn | media@itf.org.uk | +44 7850 207412
About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve workers’ lives, connecting more than 730 affiliated trade unions from over 150 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for workers globally. We are the voice for more than 16.5 million transport workers across the world.
